History

The Zandalari Invaders were the result of Zul's call to unite the troll tribes following the Cataclysm, in the wake of the Alliance and Horde efforts to stop the rise of the Zandalari after their attacks on Zul'Gurub and Zul'Aman. Rather than simply working together as they had been within the two troll cities, the Invaders were a unified force. They invaded the northern part of Kun-Lai Summit, attacking Zouchin Village. There, they established the Zandalari Vanguard and gathered resources. When confronted, the majority of the invaders claimed that Zandalar was destroyed by the Cataclysm and for that reason they needed to conquer Pandaria as they were now homeless.

The Thunder King returned to his island stronghold. He gathered most of the mogu clans and the Zandalari Invaders to his throne, forming a ruthless army capable of crushing Pandaria. He quickly encountered opposition, however, from the Shado-Pan Assault, the Kirin Tor Offensive, and the Sunreaver Onslaught. Lei Shen rewarded the most loyal and ambitious Zandalari trolls with power beyond their wildest dreams. The berserker Jin'rokh was one of the first to receive the King's blessing.[3] Gara'jal's spirit had also persisted and would later form the Council of Elders alongside the leaders of the Amani, Farraki, Gurubashi and Drakkari, representing the Invaders within the Throne of Thunder, the palace of the Thunder King. Zandalari Warbringers also arrived throughout Pandaria, challenging the Horde and Alliance forces.

The Thunder King's allies and legions were eventually defeated, and adventurers of the Alliance and Horde laid siege to his stronghold. In front of the gate to the palace, Lei Shen appeared and summoned a storm that collapsed the entrance bridge along with the adventurers. Fighting through the caves and depths, they eventually fought through the citadel, and Lei Shen himself was slain at the Pinnacle of Storms. Jaina Proudmoore had what remained of his power drained into the [Staff of Antonidas], transforming it into the [Storm-Stave of Antonidas].[4] The [Heart of the Thunder King] was brought to Wrathion, who wanted to know how and why the mogu came to be. The black dragon ultimately ate the heart to prevent Lei Shen from ever being resurrected again.[5] Without a central leader, the surviving mogu dispersed, and the Zandalari Invaders were defeated.

Aftermath

After their demise, the Zandalari Golden Fleet returned home with whatever survivors remained. The loss of the Zandalari Invaders had sweeping repercussions for the Drakkari, as this would be the last time they would stand as a tribe. By the time that the Horde reached for Zandalar, they were already declared as a lost tribe.[6]

Zul's prophecies that had spurred the Invaders to attack Pandaria had been since proven false as Zandalar was not destroyed. While there was damage, it was rebuilt and not nearly as significant as Zul claimed it would be.[7] It is unknown if the invaders were just simply taking Zul at face value, or believed that, after areas such as Nazmir and part of Dazar'alor were destroyed, that it was simply inevitable. This was a lie perpetrated to learn the methods of resurrection using Lei Shen.[8]

Some of his followers appeared to have lost faith in Zul, such as Dockmaster Cobo, while others kept to his promise that they would be called upon again. As a result, the Atal'zul contained members from Zul's excursion into Pandaria, such as Vilnak'dor and continued the Invaders' alliance with the mogu. Zul would later go on to use what he learned from Lei Shen's revival to revive Dazar, first king of the Zandalari, during his attempted coup against theZandalari Empire.[9]

Notes

The Zandalari make very few appearances themselves during the early representation of the Invaders, mostly being represented by the lesser tribes. By the time of the Isle of Thunder, this has reversed, with few non-Zandalari trolls being found.

Many of the early Zandalari appearances were updated with their new model they received with the release of the Isle of Thunder. This included any appearances of female Zandalari trolls, who used very pale green skin akin to some forest troll women. With the update, all female Zandalari were replaced with male Zandalari only.

References

^ [110 - 120] The Word of Zul: Dockmaster Cobo says: He was wrong. Oh there was damage, but Zul fled, with our fleet, and started a few wars. Those of us who stayed, endured. We rebuilt. Because THAT is what it means to be a Zandalari.

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